Stress. We hear about it everyday- stress claims, stress-related illness, stress management. We all complain about our stress level at home, at work, at school, or wherever. We can buy book and audio tapes, or attend workshops to help us deal with our stress, But, if we stop a moment to reflect, do we really know what stress is? Could we define if? Could we make changes in our lives so that we could decrease our stress levels? How could we "manage" our stress more effectively?

Purpose of the Book
      The purpose of this book is to pull together research and knowledge from a variety of fields-medicine, psychology, nursing, science, philosophy-in order to arrive at a comprehensive examination of what stress is, how it affects us as living beings, and how to cope with it more effectively. We will explore stress management from a multifaceted perspective in order to provide you with new ideas, food for thought, and some practical suggestions for improving your overall wellness and quality of life. 
      
      If you are a nurse or health care worker, this book will assist you on two levels: helping you work on your own issues related to stress, and teaching you strategies to assist your patients\clients to cope more effectively with stress. This book includes both general information and practical exercises designed to reduce or relieve the sensations which we commonly associate with stress. Completing the carious assessment tools and exercises will assist you and your patients\clients to achieve a higher level of wellness.  

      If you are not a health care worker, rest assured that this book is written in clear, "non-medicalise" language. All concepts related to medicine or nursing will be explained. The principles and information contained in this book can help every body regardless of profession. 

      One of the goals of this book is to guide you through some inner exploration. There are several questionnaires and self-assessment tools to help you gain insight into how you define stress and how it affects your life and health. These give you an opportunity to write down some of your thoughts and ideas, to take a look at some aspects of your life which you may not have taken the time to deal with before .Think of these tools as a way to ''check in'' with yourself. Give your self permission to take the time to really focus on what is going on in your head and body. Give yourself permission to focus on your own needs, which are all too easily forgotten or minimized as we try to as we try to cope with the demands of our jobs and families. Nobody but you will see what you write;  there are no ''right'' or ''wrong'' answers-give yourself the freedom to flow with the process. 

      Some of the exercises may seem a bit unusual if have not had experience with other stress management programs. Some of the life style suggestions may not be appropriate for you, and that's OK Not every exercise will work for all people; use what work for you.

Study Hints
      Before we continue, a few study hints: The objectives stated at the beginning of the book are to assist your learning; if it helps you to write out the answers, fine. It is up to you . A glossary of key terms is at the end of the book in case you need a quick reference. Full reference citation s and an extensive bibliography are also provided if you ant to pursue further readings. Feel free to make any suggestions or comments; your input is important to us and helps us to serve  you better. 

      Now it's time to spend a few minutes communicating with yourself. Please complete the Self-Assessment Questionnaire on the next page. Be honest-don't censor yourself, This tool will help you to clarify what triggers stressful feelings within you . Knowing what those triggers are will help you to develop new coping skills to deal with them more effectively. 

      Once you have answered the questions, put the assessment away for a while. We will return to it later in the course of this book.

Stress Management Self-Assessment Tool  
Date_____________

Please take a few minutes to answer these questions. Be candid with yourself; the purpose of this self-reflection is to help you increase you increase your awareness of the impact stress has on your health. 

1.	When you hear the word "stress," what is the first image that comes to your mind?
2.	How does that image make you feel?
3.	When you feel stress, do you get any symptoms anywhere in your body? If so, where?
4.	List 3 things in your life that you life that you find stressful:
5.	Are you comfortable with the way you deal with stressful situations in you life  at present?  What, if anything, would you like to change?
6.	What is your goal for reading this book and completing the course?

      Please use these questions to help you begin your explorations into your own ideas about stress and how it affects you. This is only the beginning of learning new  ways to cope with it more effectively. This book will include a variety of exercises to provide you with the opportunities to explore your ideas further and learn how to cope with the stresses of daily life. The goal is to assist you to teach a higher level of overall wellness. Expressing yourself through writing notes or keeping a journal can be very helpful during this process.